ISEQ down 161 points

The ISEQ index of Irish shares lost 161 points this morning, after a positive start began to reverse yesterday's 300-point fall.

There was a red hue almost right across the index, with few shares escaping the overall negative sentiment.

Waterford Wedgwood again slipped under the radar, recording a tiny €0.003 gain today. Readymix gained €0.07 to join the small group seeing an upward move.

The current negative news comes on top of a poorer-than-expected performance by key Bulmers/Magners brand for drinks group C&C. The company lost 17.5c this morning and is currently trading at €5.70.

Pharmaceutical company Elan lost more than 59c to trade at €12.73. Ryanair lost 21.5c and it currently at €4.85.